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4 - The Specter of the Past

Reconstructing Conservative Historical Memory in South Korea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2025

Myungji Yang
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii, Manoa
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Summary

Using the case of the New Right movement in South Korea beginning in the early 2000s, Chapter 4 analyzes how far-right intellectuals – academics, journalists, writers, and political analysts – constructed reactionary historical narratives and discourses in the post-authoritarian period. Analyzing disputes over historiography in the last decade relating to Japanese colonialism (1910–45), the founding of the Republic of Korea (1948), and the Park Chung Hee regime (1961–79), New Right intellectuals contributed to generating historical knowledge and narratives to construct positive images of the past. I argue that, to solidify their influence, New Right intellectuals have proactively adopted the leftist strategy of targeting the cultural sphere, disseminating ideas, and building cultural hegemony. In doing so, they have sought to restore the right’s political legitimacy and symbolic power in a post-authoritarian context.

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  • The Specter of the Past
  • Myungji Yang, University of Hawaii, Manoa
  • Book: Reactionary Politics in South Korea
  • Online publication: 17 December 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009588799.005
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  • The Specter of the Past
  • Myungji Yang, University of Hawaii, Manoa
  • Book: Reactionary Politics in South Korea
  • Online publication: 17 December 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009588799.005
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Specter of the Past
  • Myungji Yang, University of Hawaii, Manoa
  • Book: Reactionary Politics in South Korea
  • Online publication: 17 December 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009588799.005
Available formats
×